Coal removing machine



Jan. 16, 1968 wlLLNER ET AL 3,363,946

COAL REMOVING MACHINE Filed Sept. 16, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ining dire t/ Os kar Wilmer Edmund Kapkutt Jan. 16, 1968 O.WILLNER ETAL 3,363,946

COAL REMOVING MACHINE Filed Sept. 16, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOAS Oskar" Wiuner Peimund Kark t1- COAL REMOVING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 16, 1965 .HIIFI I ll" INVENTORS Oskar Wilmer Peimund Kark tt United States Patent Ofiice 3,363,946 Patented Jan. 16, 1968 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plurality of coal removing units between a conveyor and a coal face follow a coal digging machine and are moved parallel to the conveyor by an endless chain to load loose coal along the face onto the conveyor. Pushing cylinders move the conveyor and coal removing units against the coal face. Each unit has a ground-engaging surface and an inclined wall sloping upwardly and rearwardly to move the coal onto the conveyor. A chain connected to the coal removing units is positioned between the units and the conveyor and is protected from loose coal by a cover extending over the chain.

The present invention relates to a coal removing machine following a coal digging machine, as for instance a coal cutter, and passing the coal dug by the coal digging machine to a conveyor, for instance an endless scraper conveyor. The coal removing machine is located on that side of the conveyor which is adjacent the coal face. Customarily, such coal removing machines consist of a plurality of units which ascend at an angle from the floor toward the conveyor and the foot plates of which are connected to the links of the pulling strand of an endless chain guided parallelly to the conveyor.

Mounted on the other side of the conveyor is an advancing or pushing device which follows the coal digging machine at a certain distance and comprises, for instance so-called pushing cylinders. This pushing device pushes the individual units of the coal removing machine during the reciprocatory movement of the coal removing machine parallel to the conveyor, into the coal pile in the direction toward the coal face. The coal pile is located between the coal face and the conveyor. Due to the ascending surfaces of the units of the coal removing machine, the coal is picked up and passed on to the conveyor.

It is an object of the present invention to design the guiding means and the drive for the coal removing machine in such a way that it can be accommodated in a rather narrow space so that the conveyor may be arranged as close as possible to the new coal face.

It is a further object of the present invention with a coal removing machine having pulling means for pulling coal shoveling units, so to cover up the pulling means, for instance a reciprocatory chain, that soiling of the pulling means by the cut coal is prevented and that the chain does not impede the flow of coal toward the conveyor.

A still further object of the present invention consists in so designing the guiding means and the drive for a coal removing machine that the various parts thereof may easily and quickly be attached to and detached from the conveyor while the guiding means for the chain are adapted to absorb the considerable forces occurring during the movement of the conveyor and the units of the coal re-.

moving machine into the cut coal.

It is still another object of the present invention to design the units of the coal removing machine in such a way that they are able to break up and cut the coal accumulated in front of the new coal face to thereby facilitate the transport of the coal to the conveyor.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

which:

FIGURE 1 is a top view of the coal removing machine according to the invention in combination with a coal cutting machine and a conveyor;

FIGURE 2 is a section taken along the line 11-11 of FIGURE 1, but on a larger scale than that of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 shows a side view of the coal removing machine according to the present invention with parts broken away;

FIGURE 4 illustrates on a larger scale than FIG. 2, a side view of a detail of FIG. 2.

The coal removing machine according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that the foot plates of the individual units of the machine are connected to the links of the pulling strand of an endless pulling means arranged parallel to a conveyor, and in that the slack strand of the pulling means is arranged above the pulling strand of said pulling means and closer to the conveyor than the pulling strand. The coal removing machine according to the invention is furthermore characterized in fit) It is still another object of the present invention to 1 that the pulling strand and the slack strand of the pulling means are covered up by a continuous sheet metal hood connected to that side of the conveyor which faces the coal pile.

The hood is designed in conformity with the shape of the individual units of the coal removing machine, and its front wall facing the coal and extending upwardly toward the conveyor is inclined in a direction away from the coal face. Due to the form of the hood, both strands of the pulling means are protected against soiling by the cut coal which is being transferred from the coal pile to the conveyor, and do not impede the flow of coal to the conveyor.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the coal removing units have an ascending portion which is designed substantially in conformity with the shape of the sheet metal hood and extends above the upper portion of said hood while having a curved portion extending in the direction toward the conveyor. This curved portion may be provided with protrusions, preferably in the shape of a trapezoid, by means of which the cut coal is broken up and cut into small pieces so that the transport thereof is considerably facilitated.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, a coal cutting machine 1 is movably mounted on a conveyor 2 and includes a roller cutter 3 which cuts the coal of a seam along a wide front down to the floor. The coal cut by the coal cutting machine drops into the space therebehind in front of the new coal face and forms a coal pile. It is the purpose of the coal removing machine A to dig itself into said coal pile through the intervention of pushing cylin ders P .acting upon the conveyor 2 on that side thereof which faces away from said coal pile. During this digging operation the conveyor is moved in the direction toward 3 the coal pile and is supposed to come as close as possible: to the new coal face.

The coal removing machine A consists of a plurality of units B spaced from each other in the longitudinal di-- rection of the conveyor. Each unit comprises a foot plate 4 and a portion 5 ascending from the foot plate toward. conveyor 2.'Foot plate 4 and the ascending portion 5 are interconnected by screws 6 and bolts 7. Protrusions 8 ar-- ranged on the top side of the foot plates 4 extend into the adjacent strand of an endless chain 9 formed by round. links. Endless chain 9 extends over the entire length of the long-wall and is continuously moved back and forth. Only along a relatively short portion of the pulling strand of the chain is the latter provided with units B of the coal removing machine. Care has been taken that these remov-- ing units work in that portion of the long-wall which is: located immediately behind the coal cutter. Together with the coal cutter, also the coal removing units gradually' move in the longitudinal direction of the long-wall.

One of the most important features of the coal remov-- ing machine according to the present invention is to be seen in the location of the two strands of the chain and, more specifically, in the fact that one strand, the slack. strand or return strand, of the chain is located at a level. higher than the other strand and is laterally offset thereto so as to be closer to the conveyor 2 than said other strand.v Both strands are protected by cover means C against coal. falling from the outside onto'said strands. Said cover" means C include a sheet metal hood 11 and a cover 10 connected to that side of the frame of conveyor 2 which is adjacent the coal face. Hood 11 is designed in conformity with the ascending portion 5 of the coal removing; unit B and is roofed by the latter. Cover 10 has arranged thereon pairs of webs 12 supporting hood 11 a well as. a guiding strip 14. Guiding strip 14 is furthermore supported by reinforcing webs 13 and has its lower supporting: surface located below the bottom surface of conveyor 2. Guiding strip 14 absorbs the weight of the conveyor 2 on. the coal face side while the foot plates 4 of the units B are adapted to rest thereagainst. Thus, the force exerted by the pushing cylinders is transferred through the inter-- vention of webs 12, reinforcing webs 13 and guiding strip 14 to the units B of the coal removing machine A and. thereby pushes the coal on and over the inclined surfaces: of the units into the conveyor.

The pairs of webs 12 have connected thereto and ar-- ranged therebetween guiding members 15 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) held by tension pins 16 and having nose portions 17 extending between the two strands of chain 9. Guiding:

members 15 also hold the members 18 to which the inner W wall of hood 11 is connected by means of screws 19 and tension pins 20. The bore of pin 20 leads into a recess 21. of guiding member 15.

More specifically with reference to FIG. 4, this figure: shows lateral openings 16w into which the above-mentioned tension pins 16 may be inserted. There are likewise shown in FIG. 4 two openings 19a and 211a into which on one hand there may be inserted the screw 19, and on the other hand tension pin 20. The term tension pin is intended to designate a hollow cylindrical and slotted piece of sheet metal which, during the inserting operation is: clamped in the respective opening and is firmly held therein. It will be evident from the above that tension pins 16 are inserted through the lateral walls of ribs 12 into guiding member 15 while tension pin 20 is passed through: sheet metal hood 11 and member 18 through opening 20a.

Tension pin 20 serves for absorbing forces in the direction of movement of the coal removing machine, i.e., in the longitudinal direction of chain 9 while screw 19 serves for absorbing forces in the direction of its axis. In view of the provision of tension pin 20, screw 19 is relieved from forces acting in the longitudinal direction of the chain. For purposes of removing guide member 15 and hood 11, first the screw 19 is loosened and tension pins 16 and 20 are moved inwardly toward recess 21 until they drop into recess 21 and may be removed therefrom.

Guiding members 15 are trough-shaped and, more specifically, form sections of the surface of a cylinder. Segmental guiding members 15 partially surround the upper and lower chain strands and are adapted in combination with the adjacent portions of hood 11 to guide the chain. The wear between guiding members 15 and hood 11 on one hand and the links of chain 9 on the other hand during the movement of chain 9 may be reduced if, in conformity with the present invention, guiding members 15 and hood 11 have deposited thereon and welded thereto a build-up.

As mentioned above, the wall of the conveyor which is adjacent the coal face is covered by a sheet metal member 10 which carries a bead portion 25. This bead portion may extend above or below the inner marginal portion of hood 11, thereby creating practically a dustproof enclosure for the strands of the chain.

The lower strand of chain 9 having connected thereto plates 4 of units B, rests with its horizontally oriented links on one hand on a strip connected to hood 11, and on the other hand on the top side of guiding strip 14.

The drive 26 (FIG. 1) for the coal removing machine may be arranged, for instance, at the side wall of conveyor 2. In order to be able to equip drive 26 with a horizontal drive shaft, both ends of cover C are provided with reinforcing guiding means 23. These guiding means 23 embrace the two strands of the chain and guide the same from the vertical plane of rotation of a drive wheel 27 of drive 26 into the inclined plane formed by the two strands of the chain.

Operation During a coal removing operation, coal removing machine A is advanced through the intervention of advancing or pushing cylinder P in the direction toward the new coal face and thereby penetrates into the coal pile cut by the coal cutter 1. During this advancing movement, the foot plates 4 of the individual units B rest against guiding strip 14 without being affected by the weight of the conveyor 2 or of the cover C for the chain. Due to the movement of the units B parallel to the conveyor, the coal lying on the units B is loosened up whereby the pushing operation of the above-mentioned pushing cylinders is facilitated. The cut coal flows over the portions 5 ascending up to the top marginal portion of the conveyor and is loosened up by trapezoidal protrusions 24 arranged on the top portion of member 5, especially if the coal pile extends beyond the units B. In this way, the forces resisting the movement of the conveyor 2 in the direction toward the new coal face are considerably reduced.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular arrangement shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. In an arrangement for removing cut coal: pulling means adapted to be arranged alongside a coal face, a plurality of coal-removing means connected to said pulling means and spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of said pulling means, and conveyor means arranged alongside said pulling means for receiving coal from said coal-removing means and moving it away therefrom, each of said coal-removing means extending laterally from the side of said conveyor means and being adapted to be pushed into a coal pile and including a ground engaging surface for movement along the ground and an ascending wall portion extending longitudinally and inclined upwardly from adjacent said ground engaging surface and above said pulling means in the direction toward said conveyor means for picking up coal and conveying it onto said conveyor means, said pulling means extending between the side of said conveyor means and said wall portion and comprising a first section and a second section arranged at a level higher than the level of said first section and offset relative thereto in the direction toward said conveyor means so as to be closer thereto than said first section thereby permitting a close arrangement of said conveyor means with regard to said wall portion and thus also with regard to a coal cutter between said wall portion and a coal face.

2. In an arrangement for removing cut coal: endless chain means adapted to be arranged alongside a coal face and having an upper section and a lower section, a plurality of coal-removing means connected to the lower of said sections and spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of said chain means, and conveyor means arranged alongside said chain means for receiving coal from said coal removing means and moving it away therefrom, each of said coal-removing means extending laterally from the side of said conveyor means and being adapted to be pushed into a coal pile and including a ground engaging surface for movement along the ground and an ascending Wall portion inclined upwardly from adjacent said ground engaging surface and above said pulling means in the direction toward said conveyor means for picking up coal and conveying it onto said conveyor means, said upper and lower sections of said chain means extending between the side of said conveyor means and said wall portion while said upper section is otfset with regard to said lower section in the direction toward said conveyor means so as to be closer to said conveyor means than said lower section, thereby permitting a close arrangement of said conveyor means with regard to said wall portion and thus also with regard to a coal cutter between said wall portion and a coal face.

3. In an arrangement for removing cut coal: pulling means adapted to be arranged alongside a coal face, a plurality of coal-removing means connected to said pulling means and spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of said pulling means, conveyor means arranged alongside said pulling means for receiving coal from said coal-removing means and moving it away therefrom, each of said coal-removing means being adapted to be pushed into a coal pile and including an ascending wall portion inclined in the direction toward said conveyor means for picking up coal and conveying it onto said conveyor means, said pulling means extending between said conveyor means and said wall portion and comprising a first section and a second section arranged at a level higher than the level of said first section and offset relative thereto in the direction toward said conveyor means so as to be closer thereto than said first section thereby permitting a close arrangement of said conveyor means with regard to said wall portion and thus also with regard to a coal cutter between said wall portion and a coal face, and cover means arranged between said conveyor means and said wall portions of said coal-removing means and extending over at least such longitudinal extension of said conveyor means over which said plurality of coal-removing means extend for protecting said pulling means against coal dropping from said coalremoving means.

4. In an arrangement for removing cut coal: chain means adapted to be arranged alongside a coal face and having an upper chain section and a lower chain section, a plurality of coal removing units spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of said chain means and connected to the lower section thereof, conveyor means arranged alongside said chain means for receiving coal from said coal removing units and moving it away therefrom, each of said units being adapted to be pushed into a coal pile and including a bottom portion and an ascending wall portion inclined in the direction toward said conveyor means for picking up coal and conveying it onto said conveyor means, said chain means extending between said conveyor means and the ascending wall portions of said units while the upper section of said chain means is offset relative to said lower section in the direction toward said conveyor means, cover means arranged between said conveyor means and said ascending wall portions for protecting said chain means against coal dropping from said ascending wall portions, supporting means supported by said conveyor means and supporting said cover means, and means likewise supported by said conveyor means for guiding said bottom portions of said units.

5. An arrangement according to claim 4, in which said bottom portions are normally located lower than the bottom of said conveyor means.

6. An arrangement according to claim 4, in which those portions of said supporting means which are adjacent said chain sections are trough-shaped and extend between said chain sections.

7. An arrangement according to claim 4, in which the upper part of said ascending wall portions is curved in the direction toward said conveyor means and is provided with an upwardly extending portion.

8. An arrangement according to claim 5, in which said upwardly extending portion forms a trapezoidalshaped nose.

9. In an arrangement for removing cut coal: chain means adapted to be arranged alongside a coal face and having an upper chain section and a lower chain section, a plurality of coal removing units spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction of said chain means and connected to the lower section thereof, conveyor means arranged alongside said chain means for receiving coal from said coal removing units and moving it away therefrom, each of said units being adapted to be pushed into a coal pile and including a bottom portion and an ascending wall portion inclined in the direction toward said conveyor means for picking up coal and conveying it onto said conveyor means, said chain means extending between said conveyor means and the ascending wall portions of said units while the upper section of said chain means is offset relative to said lower section in the direction toward said conveyor means, cover means arranged between said conveyor means and said ascending wall portions for protecting said chain means against coal dropping from said ascending wall portions, plate means connected to that longitudinal side of said conveyor means which is adjacent said units, said plate means having an upper flanged portion extending partially over said cover means, supporting means supported by said plate means and extending between said chain sections while supporting said cover means, and means supported by said plate means and engaging said bottom portions of said units for guiding said units.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 716,344 10/1954 Great Britain.

PURSER, Primary Examiner, 

